How much are you running and dieting?

I have read some threads on here where people are getting winded after 1 set in the major heat and humidity. I have the same issue, combined with sweating a ton. Even though a lot of it is related to the elements, I know I can be in better shape.

I have analyzed multiple things. I am currently at around 12-14% (calipher) body fat which is nice, but I have a lot of muscle and am built like a sprinter (which I was for a while). So I plan to lean down a little more and lose 8-10 pounds.

So the first thing I am doing is 1-2 weeks of low carbing. I always do this when I start a diet. For me, low carbing is not too difficult as it is mainly replacing oatmeal as my first meal with eggs. I don't think low carb is a healthy long term diet, but I do believe in it as a way to start things off.

The rest of my meals are simple..salad with grilled chicken and bleu cheese dressing, tuna fish, fruits..lots of water.

Long term I plan on eating salad a lot more often as I find it the easiest way to eat healthy and it never really gets old for me.

So I have been doing this for a few days and have noticed more energy to exercise instead of the opposite. In the long run, I am going to need that oatmeal before I go play tennis, but short term this is the 2 week plan. Before I go hit, I eat beef jerky for some no carb "fuel".

As for workouts : every other day I am on a pushup regime. I do this to replace benchpress which I believe can really irritate the shoulder for tennis if you have been a gym rat for years such as myself. I do 3 sets in 2 minutes and go 30-18-10 (reps). I use normal, wide and close hand positions and spread these out throughout the day.

In the gym, I am focusing on core and pulls. deadlifts (not real heavy ones anymore), pulldowns, ab rotation, Bicycles (abs). Then a shoulder day with some triceps thrown in.

I also got a jump rope and want to use that for 20 minutes every few days.

The final change up, and this could be the big one, is running. I was not running at all..I mean ever, besides tennis. So I am training for a 5k, which is not that hard. I can run 2.5 miles or so without stopping in 23 minutes so far, and to me that is not super great, but not bad considering my only running fitness is tennis.

I definitely feel it in my muscles in a different way from running. Calves and thighs burn differently. To me it is a good sign that this is something I need to do. I want to run a 5k in september, so I plan to run 3-5 times a week and play tennis a little less (2-3 times a week).

Anyway, my logic is all of this should lean me down more, get my on court fitness up, and hopefully reduce how much I am sweating as well. Feel free to post your experiences.

I've been training for a 10 mile race in October, and had never been a distance runner before.

Diet-wise, I try to eat as close to balanced as I can. I'm guilty of liking bread and pasta a bit much, but I try to eat at least one salad per day, either for lunch or dinner, along with taking in an adequate amount of protein.

With regard to the running, I am currently on a rest week, but my training weeks are 4-5 days of runs. Mondays, I run a 5K, and I'm trying to push my pace for those - my current PR is around the 25 minute mark, and I'm hoping to do a sub-24 by the time it gets cold here. Wednesdays are variable between 4 and 6 miles, and I focus on keeping a steady pace that I can maintain for that distance. Thursday is speed work, either a 30 minute tempo run or 800 meter intervals, Friday is variable between 2 and 4 miles, and Saturday is my long run of the week (this week, it's 9 miles). Since I've been doing this routine, my endurance on the court has been much better, but I feel like my feet are heavier, so once I'm done with this race, I'll likely replace the longer running with sprints or footwork drills to make my feet get quicker again.

I limit my lifting to one day a week, and work medium weight rather than trying to push heavier due to the recommendation of my physical therapist that I focus on building functional strength rather than just putting up as much weight as I can.

This schedule doesn't leave much time for tennis, so I've been willing to sub tennis for running whenever needed. I usually only get to play 1 day a week, maybe 2 if I'm lucky. With my shoulder rehab, that's the right level to build up strength in my shoulder without overworking it.

Nice..running 9 miles to me is an impossibility. I cant imagine pulling that off..lol. I have never been good at long distance running, but when I ran track I could do 5 mile runs, and run a mile without any effort. That is the best I have done.

I am running at an easy pace. Looking to do a 5k in under 30 mins for now. Everything I know about running says to start off easy or you will burn out real fast with it.

Great point about heavy feet. This is why I am mixing in jump rope, which is a key part of the process before working out.

I didn't think I would ever be able to do more than 5 or 6 to be honest. I did an 8 mile run 2 weeks ago, and was planning a 10 last Saturday but it was rained out. I've found that the key is just doing it, no excuses for skipping workouts. As a coworker who is training for a marathon says, you can't fake the miles. It really becomes mental after the first mile or two - just being willing to keep going, even if it feels like it's a crawl.

You're right about building up mileage - I am in week 6 of this training, and my mileage has increased every week up until this week, and next week it's back to the regular schedule. The most pain I've had is some mild soreness in my arches, but that's subsided with some regular stretching. So far, no knee or back pain, which is where I'd always feel it when I running less often.

I have read some threads on here where people are getting winded after 1 set in the major heat and humidity. I have the same issue, combined with sweating a ton. Even though a lot of it is related to the elements, I know I can be in better shape.

I have analyzed multiple things. I am currently at around 12-14% (calipher) body fat which is nice, but I have a lot of muscle and am built like a sprinter (which I was for a while). So I plan to lean down a little more and lose 8-10 pounds.

So the first thing I am doing is 1-2 weeks of low carbing. I always do this when I start a diet. For me, low carbing is not too difficult as it is mainly replacing oatmeal as my first meal with eggs. I don't think low carb is a healthy long term diet, but I do believe in it as a way to start things off.

The rest of my meals are simple..salad with grilled chicken and bleu cheese dressing, tuna fish, fruits..lots of water.

Long term I plan on eating salad a lot more often as I find it the easiest way to eat healthy and it never really gets old for me.

As someone with back issues, I would also highly recommend Hoka One One shoes. You'll look like a clown (like me ) but for longer runs, I've never used a better shoe. Very stable, very light and only ~ 4-5 mm drop. My joints don't even feel like I've been on a run these days and that's saying a lot with my history. I still like race shoes/flats for sprints but the Hokas are fantastic for longer distances.

So I have been doing this for a few days and have noticed more energy to exercise instead of the opposite. In the long run, I am going to need that oatmeal before I go play tennis, but short term this is the 2 week plan. Before I go hit, I eat beef jerky for some no carb "fuel".

As for workouts : every other day I am on a pushup regime. I do this to replace benchpress which I believe can really irritate the shoulder for tennis if you have been a gym rat for years such as myself. I do 3 sets in 2 minutes and go 30-18-10 (reps). I use normal, wide and close hand positions and spread these out throughout the day.

In the gym, I am focusing on core and pulls. deadlifts (not real heavy ones anymore), pulldowns, ab rotation, Bicycles (abs). Then a shoulder day with some triceps thrown in.

I also got a jump rope and want to use that for 20 minutes every few days.

The final change up, and this could be the big one, is running. I was not running at all..I mean ever, besides tennis. So I am training for a 5k, which is not that hard. I can run 2.5 miles or so without stopping in 23 minutes so far, and to me that is not super great, but not bad considering my only running fitness is tennis.

I definitely feel it in my muscles in a different way from running. Calves and thighs burn differently. To me it is a good sign that this is something I need to do. I want to run a 5k in september, so I plan to run 3-5 times a week and play tennis a little less (2-3 times a week).

Anyway, my logic is all of this should lean me down more, get my on court fitness up, and hopefully reduce how much I am sweating as well. Feel free to post your experiences.

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If you have access to squash courts, I would highly suggest it as a great cross-training tool. Some will say it messes up their tennis strokes but I regularly play squash and racquetball and have never had a problem. I ran a 10 k at ~ 8 minute/mile pace a few years back only having played squash 3-4 times/week, no running at all. It's a nice substitute for a run day.

Do you think you may be overworking your tris doing push ups q other day, along with compound lifts and a shoulder/tri day?

If you are eating tuna (particularly albacore) multiple times per week, consider other lower mercury/contaminant fish/seafood.

If you are playing tennis 3 times per week, I might not run up to 5 times per week. If you play tennis 3 days, run 3-4 days.

I will give the tris a rest. I guess I am still skeptical of pushups doing so much, but they really are that good.

I think you are right 3-4 days a week is a good target for running. No squash courts here that I know of.

This whole thing was an eye opener for me as I thought I was in good shape (and I am compared to most people), but there is a level of fitness that is higher where you can do endurance sports like swimming and running, and I am currently not close to that yet.

I will give the tris a rest. I guess I am still skeptical of pushups doing so much, but they really are that good.

I think you are right 3-4 days a week is a good target for running. No squash courts here that I know of.

This whole thing was an eye opener for me as I thought I was in good shape (and I am compared to most people), but there is a level of fitness that is higher where you can do endurance sports like swimming and running, and I am currently not close to that yet.

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Forgot to post this link from Monterey Bay Aquarium, specific to the Southeast:

I know what you mean about endurance fitness. I absolutely stink at swimming. I'm not going to drown anytime soon but I have one of those dense body types that the good Lord didn't intend to compete in competetive swimming. It's a good cross training exercise for me but going to swim laps takes a lot of time/is a major inconvenience compared to other activities.

If you really start upping your running, I would also highly recommend Hoka One One shoes.

They are expensive but worth it, IMHO. I have ruptured my L4-L5 twice in the last 10 years (all good for the last 3, knock on wood). I was cleared to run on soft surfaces, keeping my mileage low but was always sore anytime I hit the 4+ mile range. I haven't had a single joint pain since purchasing these shoes early this year. You'll look like a clown (like me), but who cares. They are actually very light (<11 oz) with minimal drop (~ 5mm, I think). I still prefer racing shoes/flats for sprinting but I'm sold on Hokas for longer distances. You're pounding your joints on hard courts, best to limit the pounding from running.

That's what I based my training plan on for this 10 mile race. He also suggest a cross training day (at least for the longer mileage races). I have been cycling on Sundays to get my cross training in, plus it balances out my quads with my hammies.

I'll be cleared to run in a week or two. I'll probably start putting in 30-40 mile weeks following a training schedule that aims to have me run a 10K in 40 minutes (a mix of long runs, tempo runs, and track training). 6:30 pace. If things go well, I might try to run a marathon at the 3-hour mark in the spring (6:52 pace). The main goal here really is to run the 3:15 qualifying time (7:26 pace) for Boston as a 40th birthday present to myself (pretty sad, I know) and to run Boston in 2014. By April, I should for sure be able to hit tennis balls as hard as I want.

As far as shoes, if you don't know, have someone determine if you run neutral, or if you are a pronator or supinator. For me, any neutral shoe is as good as another. I aim for a 10-11 oz. shoe. These are the ones I recently bought (because they are cheap). Running warehouse has a coupon code: fb15d. Saves 15%.

"Chi running" isn't a bad site for learning a bit about how to run and stay injury free. As far as I can gather "chi running" = midfoot striking / relaxed, tension free running (but chi runnning obviously sounds cooler):

Though losing weight is incompatible with "training style running", I would also like to lose a few pounds. I'll aim at ~2 lbs. / month. By the spring, if things go well, I can drop 15-20 lbs. My "dieting" plan is to continue to cook the recipes on these saucing sites:

Confit is another nice method for cooking any type of meat (not just duck). Choose a cut of meat with enough fat (so if you choose to confit pork, use a butt or shoulder). You don't need to use duck fat (though its nice). Something like canola oil works fine (I know, the horror).

I do pistol squats and bicycles every other day. I'll add in upper body training when I'm cleared. When healthy, I do resistance training twice a week, though I mess around with handstand pressing, etc while watching TV if I feel like it. These parallettes are nice for L-sits, V-sits, handstand pressing / pushups, planche progressions. Rings are nice for back levers, front levers, pullups, dips, muscleups, etc.

That's what I based my training plan on for this 10 mile race. He also suggest a cross training day (at least for the longer mileage races). I have been cycling on Sundays to get my cross training in, plus it balances out my quads with my hammies.

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I usually cycled or played squash or racquetball for my cross training day. Higdon's programs have never let me down. Never thought I would run that far but did a 10 miler in 2009 using his programs (and I'm not a small guy :0). Good luck in your training.

This thread really caught my attention. I wouldn’t say I’m out of shape, but I could be much more fit cardiovascularly. I will get winded early in matches even during warm-ups sometimes. I think that is mostly adrenaline and/or nerves. During night matches I’m usually fine to compete hard, but I will get out of breath during long points. The big issue I have is playing in the sun. It’s during these matches where I’m completely out of breath at the changeovers and my opponent isn’t even huffing at all. I actually find that I can’t even compete in the heat. Just no ability to hustle. That began to bother the heck out of me recently. Some of it is just lack of sun exposure, but I’ve learned that it also a fitness issue as the blood from your body has to move away from your muscles to your skin to cool you off. This requires a higher level of fitness.

I like to lift weights but now at 36 and a shoulder surgery it seems I’ve hit a wall where I just don’t want to push myself much farther. I’ve reduced the weights somewhat and shorten the workouts to about 30 minutes. I do dead lifts, pull-ups, rows and front squats and rotator cuff work over 2 workouts. That leaves time for fitness work. I’ve been doing the HIIT type, not the aerobic type workouts after lifting weights and 1 or 2 days by itself. I will do suicides in the backyard 30 sec on, 30 sec off for twenty minutes. Other times I’ll do split squats, or burpees 30 sec on, 30 sec off. After only 4 weeks I’ve seen a big improvement which is awesome. Even during my night matches I feel much fresher and I didn’t think I needed much help at night. I was wrong.

My weight is pretty much in check. When I find the need to lose weight I track my calories on dailyburn. I just make sure to keep my protein up above 130g and calories right around 2000. That seems to let me lose about 1-2 lbs per week.

Unless you like long distance aerobic work, I would consider cutting it out. After I hurt my shoulder I found this guy online, Eric Cressey. He’s a strength coach that works with athletes, mostly baseball players. Anyways he seems to think the repetitive motions of aerobic work can lead to overuse injuries. In addition he feels anaerobic work will condition the aerobic part even better.

There is a million theories on how to get fit and how to work out. I’ve decided to just latch on to this guy. He has a blog and some great articles on T-nation.

Good points. I just really want to do more than just tennis. 5ks are a culture shock for me in terms of getting up way too early on a weekend and running a fairly long distance. That is out of my comfort zone which is a good thing. I also believe I will lose weight from this. I know a lot of people who lost weight simply from running and nothing else.

I'm not much of a runner so I just jump rope. But I've been such a lazy ass these past few months and I'm trying to get in shape again. I've resumed my diet this month (stopped trying mid june and most of july) and I'm starting to lose a few pounds again. (yeepee) For fitness I'm thinking of running a mile in the early morning and another one at sunset. I don't have access to a gym and have a couple of dumbells so I do squats, curls, shrugs, dips, and rows.

My goal weight is 130-ish and I'm 165 right now. With proper diet and exercise I think I can achieve that goal by ATLEAST next summer.

I have read some threads on here where people are getting winded after 1 set in the major heat and humidity. I have the same issue, combined with sweating a ton. Even though a lot of it is related to the elements, I know I can be in better shape.

I have analyzed multiple things. I am currently at around 12-14% (calipher) body fat which is nice, but I have a lot of muscle and am built like a sprinter (which I was for a while). So I plan to lean down a little more and lose 8-10 pounds.

So the first thing I am doing is 1-2 weeks of low carbing. I always do this when I start a diet. For me, low carbing is not too difficult as it is mainly replacing oatmeal as my first meal with eggs. I don't think low carb is a healthy long term diet, but I do believe in it as a way to start things off.

The rest of my meals are simple..salad with grilled chicken and bleu cheese dressing, tuna fish, fruits..lots of water.

Long term I plan on eating salad a lot more often as I find it the easiest way to eat healthy and it never really gets old for me.

So I have been doing this for a few days and have noticed more energy to exercise instead of the opposite. In the long run, I am going to need that oatmeal before I go play tennis, but short term this is the 2 week plan. Before I go hit, I eat beef jerky for some no carb "fuel".

As for workouts : every other day I am on a pushup regime. I do this to replace benchpress which I believe can really irritate the shoulder for tennis if you have been a gym rat for years such as myself. I do 3 sets in 2 minutes and go 30-18-10 (reps). I use normal, wide and close hand positions and spread these out throughout the day.

In the gym, I am focusing on core and pulls. deadlifts (not real heavy ones anymore), pulldowns, ab rotation, Bicycles (abs). Then a shoulder day with some triceps thrown in.

I also got a jump rope and want to use that for 20 minutes every few days.

The final change up, and this could be the big one, is running. I was not running at all..I mean ever, besides tennis. So I am training for a 5k, which is not that hard. I can run 2.5 miles or so without stopping in 23 minutes so far, and to me that is not super great, but not bad considering my only running fitness is tennis.

I definitely feel it in my muscles in a different way from running. Calves and thighs burn differently. To me it is a good sign that this is something I need to do. I want to run a 5k in september, so I plan to run 3-5 times a week and play tennis a little less (2-3 times a week).

Anyway, my logic is all of this should lean me down more, get my on court fitness up, and hopefully reduce how much I am sweating as well. Feel free to post your experiences.

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I suggest you run in a good track, sand or nice, even grass. Running in cement, public streets is a gamble, could damage your knees, ankles and low back. Also, buy good running shoes, Mizuno are great.

I will give the tris a rest. I guess I am still skeptical of pushups doing so much, but they really are that good.

I think you are right 3-4 days a week is a good target for running. No squash courts here that I know of.

This whole thing was an eye opener for me as I thought I was in good shape (and I am compared to most people), but there is a level of fitness that is higher where you can do endurance sports like swimming and running, and I am currently not close to that yet.

PP - i kept thinking about calling for the towel at almost every point. sweat was continuously running down the sunglasses lens blurring the vision. felt like scuba diving with leaky goggles (don't quite form to my head). which reminds me to get a better fitting one.

PP - i kept thinking about calling for the towel at almost every point. sweat was continuously running down the sunglasses lens blurring the vision. felt like scuba diving with leaky goggles (don't quite form to my head). which reminds me to get a better fitting one.

@PP I was thinking of starting with a mile and then once I get a little more comfortable I'd up it to a bit more like you said. As I said I'm not a runner lol. But I am aiming for 45 minutes of continuous cardio in the future. :]

Did some more HIIT after lifting weights last night. I honestly can't believe how much easier it's getting. I don't feel like I'm suffocating from lack of oxygen anymore. I feel really motivated to get as fit as possible cardio wise. Not just for tennis, but overall health as well. If I could get my resting heart rate into the 40's that would be awesome.

I'm going to make it standard protocol after lifting weights so I don't slack off and forget about it after a while which is what I usually do with cardio. That'll make it at least 2x/week and hopefully once or twice more depending on how the week goes. I usually get 2 matches in a week which can be hit or miss on the cardio aspect.

Nice..start easy and run for 20 minutes..whatever pace works for you. Its key to start easy though.

As for oakleys, I use those myself. It wont matter in this heat. Nothing does..you simply have to have multiple sticks..change of clothes..etc..it is miserable.

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In miserable heat bandana or headband works, even under the cap. Also, cold towel soaked in ice- put it on the neck between games. This would be in a tournament game if you are trying to survive and not faint, lol.

I had a match last Sunday at 11 am. Usually I try and refuse to play matches at this time, but I wanted to see how my fitness training would affect me.

I did much better than I normally would have, but it was still too hot to really have any fun at all. The guy I played is a grinder. Makes very little errors and forces you to earn every point. Not fun in 95 degrees with 80% humidity.

I tried using the frog towell thing. It works pretty well, but you have to keep in in ice water to keep it cool. IMO it's not any better than just dowsing your head with ice water if you have some, plus within 30 seconds you're just as hot as you were before. It still amazes me that people can play at this time of day and not be too bothered by the heat.

I did a lot of this last year - 2-3 hour matches in high-80s to mid-90s and humid. It's great at building up your conditioning for hot and humid weather. Many of my regulars this year were away a lot so not so much tennis.

One thing that helps, I take two 1-liter Nalgene bottles, fill them almost full with water and freeze them for about 8 hours and bring them to the court. I also bring a smaller water bottle. The cold water helps on really hot days.

I had a big problem with sweat yesterday. I normally don't use anything but yesterday I was wishing that I had brought a towel or sweatband for the arm. I just wiped it off on the inside and outside of both arms but it wasn't enough. I had it getting into my eyes from time to time.

Some other things I tried last Sunday that I didn't mention. I found these wristbands on TW, I forget who makes them, but they're described as a towell for your arm. They're much bigger than even a double wristband and kind of expensive, but I like them. Switching to tournagrip helped incredibly with sweat absorption. I was using a white overgrip from Gamma which is a little tacky. Great for fall and spring, but not summer.

I also read about how polyester has basically no breathable qualities to it so I decided to ditch the poly and try cotton. I wore a white charged cotton t shirt by UA for that match and I think that helped a little.

I am wondering if getting lean will help me with the sweating. I am not even fat, I am just muscular, built like a wrestler, sprinter, track cyclist type basically.

I was rather lean in high school and got some mass when I was in college since I was lifting heavy for lacrosse. Probably gained 20 pounds, and everyone thought on was on roids (wasn't).

Anyway, I am going to see what my body says after this diet.

I always do atkins for a few weeks to kick it off, and so far it is working great. I am down 4 pounds. Also did a pretty awesome little exercise yesterday. I woke up, had 3 eggs and some grilled chicken and then cycled 5 miles to my gym. Got there and did a nice workout and then jumped rope. I then cycled back home (my bike has 1 gear so it is awesome for these types of rides).

Anyway, I feel like this type of workout is perfect for building endurance, which is my main goal. It is nice to be pretty built but it hurts your endurance so much, at least mine.

Thing I hate about atkins is how you just eat meat and cheese basically, I am not sure how people do this longterm, but I am planning to max out at 100 carbs a day after this. I find that to be rather easy especially after limiting myself to 20. The thing I love about atkins is how long I can go with just one meal even after exercising. It just really lowers your appetite so much.

There have been a few afternoon matches I've had in the summer the last few years where I have ordered a salad for lunch. I get to the courts and I'm SO sluggish. For me, carbs are a must before an evening match. I'll eat them the night before if I have a morning match the next day.

What I do and will start doing again in a few weeks is eat oatmeal in the AM. That gives you a ton of carbs right off the bat (40 grams or so in a typical bowl). I find that it will carry me throughout the day, but if I am playing after work I will eat a baked sweetpotato for lunch. That totals out to close to 100 carbs and I find that is more than enough.

the problem with carbs is that when you carb load, you get used to that and your body can get hooked on it. That is why I always reset my diet with atkins. the first few days suck and then it gets pretty easy.

What I do and will start doing again in a few weeks is eat oatmeal in the AM. That gives you a ton of carbs right off the bat (40 grams or so in a typical bowl). I find that it will carry me throughout the day, but if I am playing after work I will eat a baked sweetpotato for lunch. That totals out to close to 100 carbs and I find that is more than enough.

the problem with carbs is that when you carb load, you get used to that and your body can get hooked on it. That is why I always reset my diet with atkins. the first few days suck and then it gets pretty easy.

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I gotta have carbs. That is just the way my body works. I've tried to cut them out before for weight loss and it just sucks all the life out of me on the court.

It's hard to lose weight and do competitive workouts (running or tennis) at the same time. I find that it's easier to focus strictly on weight loss while not training for a race or playing tennis matches. I'd guess that there are things that you lose in weight loss mode (vitamins, minerals, carbs, etc.) that you need on training or match-play. Sure, you can manage to get enough of these things but you have to keep track of everything and listen closely and experiment to make sure that you're getting enough of a bunch of things - I find that hard to do.

^^ Agreed. Any time I'm cutting or on a diet, it's tough to lift weights, play my best tennis, etc.

One thing that helps me is to save most of my calories untill 1-3 hours prior to tennis/workout. Today by around 6pm I'll have only eaten around 900 calories. I'll eat an additonal 900-1100 between 6pm and 8pm. After I put the kids down I'll workout around 9pm.

Hey guys I have a question. So I ran today and Friday (couldn't yesterday since I woke up too late and it's freakishly hot in Cali right now) and I've noticed that after the run I feel pain or something in my midsection.

But during my run nothing hurts at all but when I come home afterwards and stop moving and try to rest I feel like I'm gonna burst. No panting or anything as that usually subsides in a few minutes after I stop running but this bursting feeling I feel in my midsection is crazy/horrible! :shock: I googled it but I couldn't find anything.

It goes away after 20 minutes or so but I feel like I'm gonna die before that! Can anyone enlighten me what this is or ever felt this? Sorry if this is stupid lol.

I'm at 57/28/14 (f/p/c) this morning and going out to hit for an hour at lunch. The weather is mild today (83 degrees, 52% humidity) so it shouldn't be too much of a challenge but I'm interested in how low-carbing goes for a moderate workout.

BTW, I've found that low-carbing for a long run is a bad idea. I need to have about 100 grams of carbs for longer (6-8 mile) runs.

You can run on an empty stomach. A ton of people do this. Just boils down to your body. I would agree carbs are optimal though.

I just want to use the remaining fat I have as fuel. When you eat too many carbs you don't burn fat nearly as fast. That is why I will be cutting it down to 100 grams a day when I am done with this. I ate a lot of carbs, did not see much benefit on the court and was not losing weight either.

I ran close to a 5k last night. The biggest issue is some aches and pains in my ankles and tightness under my calves. Could be my shoes but I have tired 2 different ones so far.

Those aches and pains are not as bad as last week. I can do the 5k at a slower pace in 30 minutes. So I see progress. I think I could cut that down to around 27 minutes. Anyway that is my goal at least. I am running 3x a week. It is nice to have something to do when it starts raining at 430PM everyday, ruining your match play schedule.

You shouldn't have a lot of aches and pains when running - do you have good running shoes? I get aches and pains after a tennis match but that's all of starts and stops and changing directions. I may be a little tired after a hard run but I don't get aches and pains.

PP, sounds like you need to either look at your shoes, or stretch better after your run. You shouldn't be in pain post-run, as mov mentioned.

Make sure that you are getting a good warm-up and cool down, as well as some stretching (especially in your calves) after running - if you have tightness in your calves, it can cause pain in your arches as well.

Agree with Mov and Slap. Maybe the shoes? I think you mentioned Nike Frees? It's pretty common runners to have issues with minimalist shoes if they up their mileage too quickly. Most people are used to a lot of cushion/support/structure in their work/tennis/bball shoes and going minimalist too fast can be tough.

I think you have to be a little careful about shedding carbs and continuing to work hard in the gym. Atkins works for some and not others. If it works for you it can have superb effects. Likewise Dukan. I have never followed a diet per se but adopting a low GI approach these last few years has made a big difference. I eat lots of carbs but make them low GI ones. I have also found that each person has to work out which time of the day they need to eat. Some eat in the morning, some later on. Work out what suits you and do it. It is easy to fall into a three meals a day routine and think that because you are eating well at each meal you have things under control. If you do that my feeling is that you are probably overeating. Eat twice a day and then "graze" at other times. If you can focus on breakfast and lunch it may well help.

The point about having a bigger build -- often coming from impact sports -- is a good one. I was in that position when I started to play tennis. (I still regret that in tennis I can't tackle my opponent.) It took me several years to work out that I was just hauling additional weight round the court. I started to change my body shape. I am not convinced that running longer distances is the way forward for this. If you enjoy it for its own sake do it -- and the aerobic base is helpful. My feeling is that repeating 200m or 400m sprints is best. If you run say 8 to 12 400m at a reasonable pace, running and resting for even periods, you will soon see a big difference in your tennis endurance. Most of the time even professional players dont run very far in a match in absolute terms. I spoke to one professional tennis fitness coach a few weeks ago who advocated doing huge numbers of squats and lunges with no weight at all. By huge numbers I mean a thousand at a time.

The only reason I am running 3miles is because I want to do 5ks. I just want to shake things up a bit. Now if you guys think I can do that with interval training them I am all ears because that would be fine with me. Especially if it will aid in weight loss.

I wish I had a track nearby..but I do have a field that is 100 yards. Are you saying to run to one side and back basically without stopping, and if so what is a reasonable time to shoot for? Other question is how many reps...8 or so?

If this is a better way to slim down and lose weight I am definitely going to give it a shot. Especially if it will give me the endurance to run 5ks as well.

I'd say not to worry about how long the intervals take. The variance in times that I've seen on 400m intervals is all over the place, even for people in their 50s. I can see how one could get injured doing intervals if they are running so fast that they are somewhat out of control.

I think that you'd be better off on a track. Running really fast on an uneven surface can result in an injury or a fall.

The hierarchy of losing fat (outside of nutrition) is:

interval > strength > intense aerobic > low-intensity aerobic.

I personally like to do recreational running (7-9 minute miles) and sometimes longer easy runs (9.5 - 10 minute miles). The running is enjoyable and if I lose weight, fine, if not, well I get a workout in.

Yes..I forgot I do have a track...this is awesome. It is 1.5 miles away. I could ride my bike there and then do the intervals. Ok, now I'm excited..lol. Running on a track for me is by far the most enjoyable way to run.